The Chequers Inn, Rookley, Isle of Wight
The Chequers Inn, which is owned and run by the Holmes family, is a traditional rural pub situated in the heart of the Isle of Wight within the beautiful countryside. Our pub is the perfect place to eat, sleep and drink on the Isle of Wight, and also perfect for just stopping by for a pint of traditional local ale.
Family Friendly Pub on the Isle of Wight
Welcome to The Chequers Inn, a family-friendly country pub nestled in the heart of the Isle of Wight. At The Chequers Inn, we offer a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for all age. Our pub is the perfect spot for a refreshing drink, a hearty country meal or a cozy spot to gather with friends and family.
Our kitchen serves up freshly cooked traditional dishes with a modern twist, using locally sourced produce, meats, and seasonal vegetables. Whether you’re here for a romantic dinner, a hearty Sunday carvery, or just a quick bite to eat, our skilled chefs and experienced bar staff are here to make sure you’re catered for.
At The Chequers Inn, we love kids! Whether you’re looking for an evening out with family or your little ones are joining you for lunch, we offer a range of kid-friendly options. Our extensive outdoor play area offers a selection of activities to help kids have fun while parents can enjoy a well-deserved break.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Mark Holmes
Chief Executive
What Our Customers Say
All reviews
Tripadvisor
BookingPosted on Tripadvisor
greg T2 days agoVerified
Disappointing. Capable of far better. Having enjoyed excellent meals here on earlier occasions, we decided to treat ourselves. It was not a treat. The bill for 3 (jncluding 2 mains, 3 starters, soft drinks and 1.5pts of bitter (not very well kept)) was over £90. Service was excellent. Food was well presented but not very good, some being reheated. Halloumi fries were overcooked and hard, though the member of our party who did not have a main because she was poorly, did not complain but left most of them. I had a couple...hard and unpalatable. Both the other starters (crispy beef and tiger prawns) were fine. A bill heading for £100 for all this would have been acceptable had the food been better. As it was, a disappointment, I am afraid. We enjoyed a far better meal at a rival pub yesterday, for less money.Posted on Tripadvisor
Dawn P10 days agoDont go to the chequers when busy Went for a family birthday meal, was told our meal had been paid for. 3 times we enquired to make sure this information was correct, stating our table number as we had all discussed within the family that none of us had paid. They insisted that we had paid but another table next to us had a large family & when a lady from that table went to pay at the bar a member of staff said which table & she said the one behind her. In this confusion she paid her our table & not hers. She then rung the chequers the next day & said she paid the wrong bill & got a refund. We then had a text saying we needed to pay our bill. I don't have a problem with that but what I was upset about is the way a certain member of staff spoke. He just said we all mistakes, it was busy. No sincere apology. I had to ask if I may have a discount for the inconvenience & when I told him I wouldn't be returning he couldn't of cared less. Disgusting attitude to treat customers & carelessness of staffPosted on Google
Gary Munson16 days agoTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Ok. Pub food restaurant pricesPosted on Tripadvisor
denise r26 days agoCarvery service rude We booked The Chequers for Sunday lunch and cannot fault the food at all. My mum and I had the carvery which was lovely. However the man that was doing the carvery came across quite rude. My Mum and I were first in queue as our other party's dinner was served so we went to get our food. The man serving the carvery for some reason took the people behind us tickets first and asked us to move out the way so the other customer could choose their meat. We said sorry and stood back! He then took our tickets after and quite abruptly said what do you want? He showed quite clearly he didn't want to be there and looked very bored. It would've been a nicer experience if we had a friendly service. The waiter and waitress that came to our table with the rest of our party's meals were very pleasant.Posted on Google
tasha Beasley37 days agoI have never been in a pub restaurant with that many flies before. We were sat inside in the alcove so nowhere near the access doors and there were at one point 12 flies around our table and food. It was so off putting. The food was good nothing special, i had a ploughmans and it was mediocre, my partner said the burgers were delicious and my children said their meals were ok. We didnt stay for dessert because the flies were so off putting. The service was great until the bill, when we wanted to pay we were ghosted. The play area is the best part of the pub and the only reason I would return.Posted on Google
Ian Bourne37 days agoFood mediocre at best, some of our order was forgotten so it came out when everyone else had nearly finished. Won't go again.Posted on Google
Andrew Thomas42 days agoHave known this pub since the early 70's and have dined there many times. Went for a meal last night and was appalled by the drop in standards. Food was mediocre, over cooked and the service was so slow we considered leaving and picking up a takeaway. Serious amount of improvement needed.Posted on Tripadvisor
Janis H44 days agoBad Service Booked a table restaurant not busy. Main course came quickly but the puddings we had to chase up waited 30 mins. Was given our puddings for free because of problems.Posted on Booking
Julie56 days agoVerified
Lovely location, spoiled by cramped room and indifferent staff. ☺Location, food, cleanliness, playground for kids, comfortable bed. ☹Room was very small and cramped which meant that moving around was awkward. Bathroom was similar with a tiny basin with a shelf above making it impossible to avoid water falling onto floor. Maybe room should just be advertised as single and not double. Breakfast was good and breakfast staff were friendly. However one member of bar staff made us feel uncomfortable after we had had an especially difficult day involving a visit to A&E on the island. We had booked a table online at the last minute for dinner as had left the hospital at 7:30pm. And my daughter mentioned the 6-hour visit to A&E to staff member by way of explanation but there was no acknowledgement of this; instead we were informed that we would have to be quick to order as kitchen would close in 7 minutes. This made us feel even more uncomfortable and was the last straw frankly and left a not too favourable impression on all of us after a day which had been long and fraught. We will not return.Posted on Tripadvisor
janis17656harris59 days agoChequers Inn - Slow Service Very slow service. Didn’t take our order quick enough. Had to chase up our deserts. We were 1 group of 3 families in the restaurant it was not busy. Have us our deserts for free. Sad it wasn’t a great experience.Posted on Tripadvisor
Carol W61 days agoVery poor A very poor experience, after waiting 25 minutes between the starter and main course, the meal arrived cold and dried with a skin formed over the tartare sauce. I asked for my mushy peas that were not served with the meal and they also arrived cold. I asked for a replacement however whilst waiting my already cold meal was no longer edible by the time they arrived. Yes they deducted the cost from the bill and offered to replace the meal however as I was dining with friends and had already waited over a hour for my meal I declined the offer.Posted on Google
Aimee78 days agoLooks like a lovely place. Staff were great, very friendly and polite. However, the place was absolutely roasting hot, and there were flies all over. Not their fault - this level of heatwave is unexpected, but it made for a slightly uncomfortable experience!Posted on Tripadvisor
Lauren N97 days agoDisappointed Location is good. Having lived on the island we have visited many times and always had a good time BUT unfortunately not this time. Inside was very quiet for a Saturday and the atmosphere was fairly uncomfortable. We saw a total of 3 staff members. 2 who looked like they didn’t want to be there and 1 who was more accommodating. We waited all of 15 mins for the kids food which was amazing. Probably another 15 on top for adults which was fine as we ordered the children’s first. However after we had finished we were sat with our empty plates for over 40mins. We had to ask multiple times to be able to order desert after sitting there waiting for a staff member to come over to our table. Keep in mind there was only 1 other family of 4 in the dining area and outside was not busy either. It is such a shame as we have came so many times and always found staff to be lovely and great us with a smile and be on top form for serving but this afternoon was unfortunately not that. Ladies toilets were filthy with dead insects all over the sides. Outside area lovely minus tables needing clearing. Extra staff for a Saturday is probably needed unless they were all busy setting up for the football event they were holding over the lane. Positives overall was the food was still lovely, easy drink ordering outside from the self service, nice location and my children enjoyed playing. We will visit again but hopefully service will be a lot better.Posted on Google
P110 days agoHad a recent meal here, poor food - significantly worse than a year or two ago. Poor service. Not sure what has happened to this place, used to be great.Posted on Booking
Hill120 days agoLovely room but the rest let's it down. ☺Breakfast service was poor and not served until after 9am Late bringing out water and juices and milk. No pastries at all or yoghurt or fruit. Had to ask for butter, tongs for the toast (which were dirty). Male staff was indifferent. Dinner was cold and part of it was sent back. Had to walk all the way round to the other side of the bar to tell someone. Ants running around on our table. Blonde waitress was a bit surly in her manner. ☹Breakfast was too late Dinner was cold Ants on the dining tablePosted on Google
Sian Powell122 days agoSad birthday meal - We arrived after reading the good reviews & the menu, but were sadly disappointed. Ordered our food, the starter never arrived - it was missed off the order. Main meal arrived after ordering sirloin steak & then being told they only had rib eye - medium was requested and rare arrived - we sent it back & requested it was cooked correctly. Rachel the waitress never actually apologised for any of these mistakes and the only good service we received was from the young lad - sorry didn't catch his name. My husband always has dessert, but with the bad experience we paid & left. We will not be returning and neither will the gentleman sat on the next table - who also wasn't impressed with the service or food.Posted on Google
riley mctaggart139 days agoDon’t go here about 6 items on menuPosted on Google
Moon Crypto149 days agoI'll start with a description of room #2. It's no more than two meters high: literally, if you're taller, you won't be able to stand upright. In some places, the ceiling is even lower, so even if you're not very tall, you risk hitting your head. This is the smallest room I've ever stayed in. The staff isn't very attentive and doesn't explain all the dining options. We arrived on a Sunday, when the hotel offers a buffet in addition to the main menu. No one informed us of this, so we ended up ordering overly salty dishes from the menu, even though we would have happily opted for the buffet for variety. We had to wait 20 minutes for the waiter to take our order—quite a while, considering the room wasn't fully booked. The cleanliness of the dishes is also questionable: there were drink stains on the teaspoons. The location isn't ideal. The hotel is located near a busy road with cars driving 24/7. The windows overlook the roadway, beyond which lies a field with horses. Bottom line: this establishment is worth visiting on a Sunday for the buffet for £23. If you can book rooms #1 or #3, you can stay overnight. Room #2 is only worth staying in if you're traveling alone and are short. This is my subjective assessment of this establishment.+1Posted on Booking
Vlada151 days agoOverrated, bad value for money if consider the size of the room we had. ☺The room was really clean and well-equipped with everything you may need - shower facilities, shaving kit, toothbrush, etc. Nice breakfast with fair variety to choose from. Playground for children. ☹The reviews are kinda overrated. I would say it’s a perfect hotel to stay with a family and probably even as a couple, but if you have a choice to pick a bigger room. We had really small 12m^2 room where both me and my husband were hitting our legs, heads, arms because of tiny space. This room is not intended for two people. If to put there one-place bed and make it available just for solo travelers it would be even cute and cozy, but for two people it’s disaster. Additionally, the hotel is located right near the road and the windows are also going at this side, so can be noisy at night.Posted on Google
Mark Webzell173 days agoSuper steak and good friendly service.Posted on Booking
Reg178 days agoSmall double room inadequate. ☺Good location ☹Small double room is inadequate. NO space at all uncomfortable bed and cannot November around it. Luxury room space good but windows rattled. Room was cold at night. Noise from road and plumbing. Breakfast bad experience when an event on. You get ignore. Our event simply Easter Breakfast. Last year mother's day.Posted on Tripadvisor
Debbie S179 days agoPoor over priced breakfast Poor service, took 40 mins for a breakfast not acceptable considering it was quiet. When it did come out the fried egg had dried up under heat lampPosted on Tripadvisor
Paul S181 days agoDissapointing First time we visited here last summer food and service was excellent This visit long wait for service and not over busy ,food was mediocre ,asked for sauce which never arrived,bill was incorrect with no apology from serverPosted on Tripadvisor
WildAtWillow264 days agoAverage Sat close to the fire as the pub was quite cold inside. My partner had the small portion cod and chips, the fish was quite small which was expected and would have been ok if it wasn’t mostly batter. Had a crumble which was lovely but the accompanying custard was cold, even when reheated was only warm and it was very thin. Eating out is only for special occasions as on a budget now so I don’t think I would rush back.Posted on Booking
Graham414 days agoDisappointing service from some staff: as residents we seemed to be a distraction rather than valued visitors ☺Rural location was good and views from our room ☹Noisy; dated furniture: safe was locked shut; only one relaxing chair for 2 occupants; dangerous staircase to room; car park in very poor condition (deep pot holes too)!+3Posted on Booking
Stella512 days ago☺Nice location and friendly staff. ☹Our room was a lot smaller than we expected with a very small bathroom. However the bed was comfortable and there were coffee/tea making facilities and toiletries supplied which was a nice touch.Posted on Booking
Nicky523 days agoGood value but needs a little finesse ☺Kids play area was great ☹The family room we stayed in was a good size but unfortunately the windows rattled and were drafty only exacerbated by the fact it was very windy when we stayed, so our sleep was interrupted.Perhaps in the height of summer it wouldn’t be an issue. Food and service was good.Posted on Booking
Alastair782 days agoNever happened but got charged anyway ☺Nothing did not actually get to stay ☹The booking did not appear on my booking.com app . All confirmations were sent to a non active email address that I can not access or change as any change requires access to a non existent email account. Despite this the pub charged a penalty no show fee, ( despite being told about the problem when they rang me on the day we were due to attend). I have raised this with the pub and booking.com - both of whom have refused to refund the chargesPosted on Booking
Peter828 days agobetter in 2023, standards have dropped in 2024 ☺We stayed in 2023 and the breakfast has gone down hill, chewy bacon and undercooked scramble eggs. Dusty bathroom and hairs (looked like someone had shaved) in the bath ☹quality of ingredients
